The New Girl
by Guardian of a Friend
Summary: It's always the childs choice what becomes of their imaginary friend; whether they are taken to Foster's or kicked out on the street. Except for one girl, Ileana. What will Mac and friends do to help her out? And just what is she hiding?
1. The Beginning

Trees and houses past in a blur as Ileana lazily laid her head up against the car window, her light purple hair sticking to her face and the glass, due to the electricity early spring brings. Her ice blue eyes snapping back and forth as they scanned the area passing beside her but her mind wasn't really calculating what she was seeing. Instead her mind was focusing on the events prior to this ten hour trip.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm sure you'll make tons of friends where we're moving!" exclaimed her mother tilting her head backwards to speak to her daughter from the front passenger seat.

"Whatever," Murmured Ileana, her eyes never once leaving the window.

A sigh esc aped her mother's lips, "Ileana you need to move on. What happened was an honest mistake. You can make new friends; this time maybe you can get more than one." Her mom's gaze shifted towards her daughter sitting directly behind her. The only notation that Ileana had heard her or was listening was her furrowing brow, and the occasional twitch of her left ear, a habit the girl had had since she was seven and never bothered to break. "All I'm saying is that this is a brand new start for you, Ileana. So don't ruin it for yourself by remaining in the past. I'm sorry for what happened to Camara but you need to forget about her and focus on your new life."

"Easy for you to say, you didn't lose someone who was practically a part of yourself," mumbled Ileana, barely above a whisper. As her mother's head turned back around to face forwards a silent tear slid its way down Ileana's face, splashing on her grey cargo shorts. Quickly raising her arm, she wiped away the faint streak mark left behind by the tear. That was the whole reason they were moving.

So that she wouldn't constantly see reminders of what happened, but her parents didn't know the whole truth of what was happening. Sure they knew about the disappearance, they were the ones who helped her perform the burial without the body, but they didn't know what was currently happening. No one did. And as far as Ileana was concerned, no one ever would.


	2. Explosive Science Class

**AN: Ok first off I am so very sorry it took so long to update but you know summer vaca. and what not, so… I'M SORRY! Anyways, just to let you know this is my first story ever! Woohoo! I was going to tell you at the bottom of last chapter but I hadn't figured out how FanFiction, author notes, and a bunch of other stuff worked and I still don't but I will eventually figure it out. This chapter will be longer as you have already noticed, I didn't know how long 350-some words was gonna be (length of previous chapter) so I felt terrible when I discovered how short it actually was but oh well what can you do? This chapter may not be too well written because I was in a rush to get most of it done before my parents woke up and brought us back to lake where I would be unable to make another chappy. So… sorry for that too (if you haven't noticed I apologize a lot, sorry about that too) Okay enough of my rambling; **

**Thank you so much Luna Pink for the review! **

**I own nothing! Except Ileana and Camara. ENJOY!**

Yawning slightly, Mac watched impatiently as the second hand on the classroom clock slowly made its way around the white clock face. Tick, tick, tick; Mac clenched his fist around his mechanical pencil before dropping his gaze back to the teacher pacing back and forth in front of the lab station/desks, as she explained to the glass about the lab that they were about to do.

Releasing the grip on his pencil, Mac let his mind wander back to his favorite place; Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. What had it been, five years? No, six years. Six years since he had first dropped Bloo off at Foster's when he was eight years old, now being fourteen. Not much had changed since then. Now he wore a plain red t-shirt with nothing under it, and blue jean shorts. His hair was exactly as it was back when he was little, and yes he still carried that green backpack everywhere. Mac had grown quite a bit too, now he stood up to Frankie's shoulder. He still had to visit Foster's by 3 o'clock but being in high school and getting released early did help. Plus, going to school with Goo and having her drive both of them to Foster's did had its advantages as well.

The distinct sound of a door slamming snapped Mac out of his thoughts, as a girl with raggedy, shoulder-length purple hair, a yellow t-shirt, and grey cargo shorts with a shoulder bag slung on her left shoulder crossing over to land on her right hip, made her way into the room. Her black and white converse squeaking as she walked to the middle of the classroom, stopping in front of Mrs. Derillie. Mac watched as the girl quickly scanned everyone in the classroom, quirking an eyebrow every so often. Finally her gaze landed on Mac; for a second her eyebrows knitted together, then her eyes widened slightly before snapping her head back to the teacher.

"Here," she exclaimed before shoving a white slip of paper into the teacher's hands.

Pushing her 'old people glasses' (as Bloo liked to call them) further up the bridge of her nose, Mrs. Derillie squinted down at the sheet of paper shaking in her hands. "Ah, yes. Class we have a new student today, Elena…"

"Ileana."

"Right, right. Ileana Ruther. Now everyone why don't we give her a big warm welcome!"

Silence. "Well… umm… okay then," chirped Mrs. Derillie, trying to cover up for the moments of silence. "Ilena, dear why don't you go sit down by Mac over there."

In the front of the room, Ileana appeared like she wanted to argue with her, but decided against it turning to face the class. With a grunt, she sped past everyone, reaching for the seat next to Mac. Instead however was flung forward, narrowly missing banging her head against the floor. Getting up out of his seat, Mac lowered his hand down towards the new girl, which she reluctantly accepted.

"Nice job loser." Mac half glared at Devin, while he made sure he still had an eye on the new kid just in case she would slip again. Ileana and Mac looked down at the floor at a purple binder laying in the middle of the walkway.

"Here," he said, kicking the binder over to Devin. "Keep a closer eye on your stuff next time."

"Jerk," grumbled Ileana.

Mac and Ileana returned back to their seats in time to hear the last of the teacher's announcements, "Have fun and don't break anything. The school can't afford to purchase a whole new stock of beakers and test tubes, that's why we bought one set and not _two. _And begin!"

Mac poured the tube of hydrochloric acid (HCl) into the flask of water in the middle of the table; before handing an eye dropper over to Ileana. She pulled out enough phenolphthalein solution, the indicator of the project, to fill about half of the container and held it over the H2O, HCl mixture. Shaking, her hand squeezed out three drops of the liquid. Working together, they both started adding Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) drop wise to the flask. Pink swirls started appearing and disappearing throughout the container, but never stayed.

Removing her eyes from the flask, Ileana peered over at the group across from them. Their flask had already turned a solid shade of pink. Looking back at her own mixture, she spotted a tube of clear liquid still in the test tube holder. Reaching over, she pulled out the tube and started to poor it in.

"Wait!" yelled Mac grabbing her hand holding the tube. Placing the now half empty tube back in the holder he turned back towards his partner. "Nitric acid isn't part of the experiment."

"Then why was it there?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You've been in this class longer."

"…Touché."

"Sooooooooooooo, what will the nitric acid do?"

"Not much as long as none of the rubber bulbs on the shelf fall in."

"Hey Mac!" squeaked Jennie, running from the other side of the room.

"Duck," ordered Mac sliding to floor.

"Huh? Aah!" Ileana landed with a thud on the concrete floor. She glared at Mac.

"Just duck, would ya?" He grabbed the top of her head and shoved it down so that it was below desk level, right when Jennie jumped in the air and dived across the table, scatter papers and breaking tubes. Still having momentum after being flung off the table, she did a semi-roll in mid air before hitting the wall thus ending up sitting upside down with her legs straight up.

"Thank goodness she missed," sighed Mac standing up

Ileana quirked an eyebrow, "Does that usually happen?"

"No. Most of the time she doesn't give me a warning so I end up in a headlock."

She chuckled, "But still, it's normal for her to come flying out of nowhere and try and attack you?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Weird."

They froze. "What happened to the…" they drifted off. Snapping their head towards the flask and shelf containing the rubber bulbs and other chemicals, they sighed in relief when the shelf stopped rocking back and forth.

"Well that was a close one!" yipped Jennie popping up in front of the desk; the vibrations sending the shelf tumbling forward. The two watched in horror as one of the rubber bulbs fell into the flask, while everything else bounced and broke off to the sides. The pink liquid in the flask stirred with the newly added ingredient but quickly died down again.

"Hey Mac," asked Ileana, biting her lip.

"Yeah?"

"Remember when you said as long as a rubber bulb didn't fall in everything would be fine?"

"Ahuh."

"What would happen if a bulb did get knocked into the flask."

"The mixture of chemicals along with substance of the rubber bulb would cause it to explode. But the explosion would be so minor that it wouldn't cause any damage to anyone near it."

"Oh." Looking at each other the pair burst out laughing. Jennie hmphed not getting what was so funny before walking back to her lab station.

"Class listen up!" announced the teacher. "Don't forget when you're done to bring your flasks up here with each partners name so I can evaluate it before the bell rings.

A large grin formed its way on Ileana's face, "You know what we do now with an explosive flask, don't you?"

"Give it to the teacher with only seconds to spare before the bell rings so that it blows up in her face and we don't get in trouble?" Mac smirked; Bloo was so rubbing off on him.

"Yep."

Mac watched the clock while Ileana kept her eyes on everyone else as one by one the other students turned in theirs. "Ileana and Mac, please bring your flask to the front of the room," called Mrs. Derillie, her eyes never once leaving the clipboard of names.

Ileana nervously glanced over at Mac, "Is it ready yet?"

"Almost, just a little longer."

"Mac and Ileana, please bring your flask to me."

"Come on just a little longer."

"Mac and Ileana."

"Just a few more seconds."

"Bring your flask to me now or else I wi-" the teachers sentence was cut short by the sound of Mac's chair squeaking against the tile floor. Standing up he grabbed the flask and handed it over to the teacher when he reached the front of the classroom.

Going back to his seat Ileana whispered, "Did it have enough time?"

"Wait for it," he said holding up a finger.

"Wait this is!"

'BBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!' The broken glass clattered against the floor, followed by the ringing of the bell, signaling the end of the day.

"Run," exclaimed Mac pulling Ileana out of her seat and towards the door. As they entered the hallway, the cries of the teacher were drowned out by the noise of the students. Somewhere in the hallway Mac let go of Ileana, thereby losing her in the crowd. It is not easy to spot a four foot tall kid in the midst of a high school hallway. "Crap!" he murmured under his breath when he looked at the clock. "Goo's gonna be waiting."

**End AN: Well that chapters done! Once again sorry for the wait the next chapter should be uploaded sooner since I'm going to write it down so I can work on it in the car. Please Review! I need to know what you think otherwise I will have no motivation for this story! And I like this story so I would like to continue it so it's up to you. **

**Plus I was wondering how do I make those grey lines appear on my story when I want them? Do I do it on Word or is there something I do on Fanfic before the story gets put up?**

Also, I was thinking about making a pairing of MacxIleana but I need to know what you reviewers think. Since I'm new to this I also need some advice on what I should rate this and what genre this should be. I'm thinking of doing hurt/comfort/friendship what do you think? Course none of you reviewers know what's gonna happen or else I wouldn't be the one writing this now would I? But what should the genre be based on what you have read so far?

**Oh and should I make a bio of the characters on a separate chapter so that you know what they look like due to the time skip? Once again stopping my rambling.**

**Plz R&R! **

**~Guardian of a Friend~ Laterz!**


	3. The Photograph

**Another update! Yay! I am terribly sorry for the wait but this time I do have a reasonable excuse, well more like three: first of all I started having acid reflex **_**again**_** and it was some of the worst cases I've had in years so I was too busy getting driven down to the emergency room so that it would stop. After that cleared up I had to go get school supplies, and after that my family went on another boat trip and on the first day I jumped on the tube from the boat my brother pushed me off, nearly hit my head but instead hit my elbow on the fins on the bottom of the boat, which I am still sore from. But then again I am an accident looking for a place to happen so that's to be expected. Enough of my ranting enjoy!**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you, fututerauthor13 for the review I was so happy when I read it.**

**To XX-Draco-Sweetie-XX I cannot thank you enough for not only reviewing my story but also adding my story to your Favorite Stories list. Woohoo! **

**And finally, Jacob2119 thanks so much for putting my story on your Favorite Stories list.**

**To all who have reviewed/favorited this story, I am so very thankful to all of you. You don't know how happy it makes me whenever I get the update on my email. I'm also very sorry for not updating as quickly as I/other people would probably like but I will try and do better in the future.**

**I don't own anything! Except Ileana and Camara, and everyone else I made up in Mac's class and the teacher but they aren't important. Soooooo READ!**

* * *

Chapter 3: The Photograph

Mac raced through the front doors, jumping up on the rim of the water fountain, cutting above everyone else, before skidding to a stop in front of the parking lot. His best girl-human friend stood fuming on the opposite side of the parking lot, and yet he could still here her grumblings quite clearly. Once he had gotten halfway through the parking lot Goo finally noticed him and there started his headache.

"MAC! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN WAITING FOREVER YOU SLOW POKE! COME ON MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT," she started to sing while doing the moon walk across the concrete. Some things never change. Goo was still her wacky self although she stopped making imaginary friends left and right after a counselor freaked out on her.

Apparently when they ask, "What seems to be the problem?" you're supposed to tell them "Nothing, except for…" with a basic overview of whatever got you thrown in there, _not _a two hour speech of everything that ever happened to you from birth, with the occasional song here and there. Who would've guessed?

She still wore those big yellow boots, along with the rainbow striped t-shirt and jean overalls except that the overalls ended in a skirt rather than pants, and she had gray leggings. Goo even kept the three gravity defying braids from when she was younger.

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?" asked/yelled Goo even after Mac had reached the car.

"Nice to see you too, Goo. Anyways I got stuck in traffic in the hallway."

"What are you talking about? I didn't run into any traffic on my way out."

"That's because you got let out early since your last class is art."

"So?"

"You + anything that allows infinite creativity = insane teacher."

"That isn't true!" pouted Goo.

"It's also why you got the option to skip Language Arts class."

"The stories weren't _that _long."

"In one of the stories you spent five pages just describing _one _character."

"And…"

"And… there were _seven _characters. Plus, you've nearly broken the printer, _twice._"

"Thrice."

"What?"

Goo sighed, "Thrice. I've nearly broken the printer thrice."

"Thrice isn't a word or a number."

"Oh yes it is. What else is between two and three?"

"Two point five."

"That's an imaginary number."

"No it's not! It's exactly half way between two and three!"

"Not in my book it isn't!"

"And yet you still got an A in math," grumbled Mac. "Let's just go already shall we?"

"Sure fine with me." Goo turned on the engine and hit the gas pedal, starting to drive towards the exit. When the car stopped in the exit line, Mac looked out the window to see Ileana punching Devin right in the stomach before starting to walk away. _At least she didn't beat him up during class, _thought Mac.

"Who's she?" asked Goo leaning over Mac to get a clearer view of Ileana.

"She's the new girl, Ileana."

Goo's brow furrowed, "Something about her seems familiar." Returning back to the wheel Goo drove ahead and out the front gates.

"Maybe you've seen her before?"

"Possibly, but purple hair would be hard to forget." In no time the two arrived at Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Turning into the driveway, they unbuckled and hopped out, as Bloo came running outside.

"Maaaaaac, what took you so loooonnnngggg," whined Bloo. Mac rolled his eyes. Bloo was still as dramatic as ever.

"We aren't that late, if anything I think we are actually earlier than yester-"

"I want juuuuiiccccce."

"So?"

Bloo sighed, did he have to explain everything? "Soooo, go get me some juice."

"You're the one who wants juice got get it yourself."

"Fine make the imaginary friend do all the work." Bloo turned and headed inside, with Mac close behind.

Mac glanced back, "Wait, what happened to Goo? She was just with us."

"She was?"

He sighed, "Bloo, if Goo wasn't with us than how did I get to Foster's?"

Bloo thought for a moment. "You teleported."

"No one can teleport Bloo."

"Yes you can, according to Space Invaders IV: The Battle of Remula."

Mac shook his head before heading in to the kitchen. Bloo grabbed his juice and hopped up on top of the counters. "So where is everyone?"

Bloo stuck his hand up, then took a huge sip from his juice. Exhaling, he took a breath as he was about to start then continued to suck the life out of his juice container that had long since been empty. "Wilt's running an errand for Frankie, Eduardo's up in our room hiding under his covers after I scared him with a bunch of spiders, and Coco… well, actually I don't know what Coco's doing." A pop sounded a few hallways down before an imaginary friend came riding through the kitchen on a skateboard.

"Thanks Coco!" he yelled.

The intercom buzzed to life, "No skateboarding in the hall!" ordered Mr. Herriman.

"Wow he has seriously gotten a lot quicker at that hasn't he?" pondered Bloo.

Mac chuckled, "He's had a ton of practice with all the stunts you pull."

"Mac! Mac! Mac!" hollered Goo as she burst into the kitchen.

"No yelling allowed!"

"Oh zip it furball this is important!" she shouted back at the intercom. (**AN: always wanted to do that) **"Mac come on lets go." She grabbed Mac's arm dragging him, with Bloo following, out of the room through numerous hallways, up several flights of stairs until they eventually reached Frankie's room.

Goo threw open the door and raced to the computer clicking on the internet icon. "Hey Goo," exclaimed Mac, "are you sure we're supposed to be in here without Frankie?"

"Yeah, she said it was fine. Anyways, come look at this." Goo pulled up the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends webpage. Clicking on an icon in the bottom right, a page opened with a bunch of separate accounts each with at least one picture in them followed by a caption.

"Goo, what page is that I've never seen it before."

"This page is an update page for all the friends who have been adopted. They get on here and can post pictures of themselves with their owners and write something about it that way we know how they are doing." She scrolled down the page, until she found the picture she was looking for. Enlarging she asked, "Do you remember who that is?"

"No way is that…" trailed Mac.

"But it couldn't be…" followed Bloo.

"Jokey? Yep. Some time after he was adopted, he and his owner's family moved out of state to some place called Heders Field. But that's not what I wanted to show you, this is." She replied clicking on a miniaturized photo above a caption. The picture instantly expanded so that you could see it clearly.

In the picture was a pixilated version of Jokey standing next to the boy who had adopted him on the first adopt-a-thought Saturday since Bloo had came to Foster's.

"Why are we looking at this again?" asked Bloo.

"Because of her," she said jabbing her finger up against the computer screen. Above Goo's finger were two girls standing side by side, the first one pale the other a dark tan. The first girl, or the girl on the left, looked so frail, as if any second she was going to collapse and break. Her hair was a very light blonde and only went just below her ears. Her blue eyes were dull and lifeless except for a tiny gleam, and a ghost of a smile rested on her mouth.

While the other one, the girl on the right, looked normal, neither fragile nor large, smack dab in the middle. Her hair was a dark brown ending around her waist. She on the other hand, looked full of life compared to her friend, if anything it looked like she was trying to cheer up the girl on the left. But she obviously didn't see the small smile her friend was wearing or she probably wouldn't be looking so worried. The only thing off about this girl was that the colored part of her eyes were white and black triangles.

The two were complete opposites when looking at them, light and dark. Black with a hint of white; and yellow with a touch of blue. Just who were these girls?

Mac took the mouse and scrolled down so that the caption was visible. The names of all the people were ordered from left to right, highest point to lowest, so that they were in place with the order that the people were in. Below it was a little section that told of anything that was off in the background. Mac squinted at the small text. "What the heck?"

_Background: Ileana Ruther, Camara Jenkins_

**

* * *

**

**Finished chapter 3! OOOooooohhhhh, what happened to Ileana in the picture? Why does she look so sad and fragile? Who is Camara? What's going to happen? When will I update next? Why am I asking so many stinking questions? Anyways, first day of school was today and it was officially awesome! And thankfully I didn't slip on the floor walking into the cafeteria like I did last year. Curse you clumsiness! So I have some extra craziness that has been building up all day. I tried my best with writing about the computer program thingy, but I do believe I epically failed at it but that is my opinion. Review! They make me so happy!**


	4. Some Old Guy Is Snoring

**Chapter 4 wow, I never thought I would get this far on the story, or have so many reviews. I'm so happy! Anyways sorry again for the wait but I got stupid writers block. So for whatever reason I could think of a storyline for later chapters but not this one! But I pushed through it so it may not be as good as others. Also, since I probably won't update for a while again after this so I want to say HAPPY 90****th**** BIRTHDAY to my Great-Grandfather! YAY! This chapter is an early b-day present to him. **

**Thanks so much LUMUT for the review I'm glad you liked it! Also, thanks for putting me on your favorite authors list **_**and **_**for putting my story as one of your favorites! **

**And to ImagineTheWorldWicked thanks for listing my story under your favorites! **

**To all who have reviewed/Favorited Story/Author I cannot thank you enough for everything! I only wish I could make this story ten times better for you guys but alas, I can't. I'm not that good of a writer. But still, you all don't know how much it means to me, simply to have you guys read this story, let alone review or favorite it. So thank you a million more times than my computer can hold without breaking down!**

**ENOUGH OF MY RAMBLING! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own FHIF or else do ya think it would have been canceled? So no I only own this story, Camara, Ileana, and Mac's classmates/teachers. R&R!**

Chapter 4: It's Raining, It's Pouring, Some Old Guy is Snoring

Gray clouds drifted over head, occasionally blocking out the sun. But the fourteen year old genius, sitting on the front steps of his school paid no mind, as he continuously scribbled ideas down on a sheet of paper before furiously scratching them out. Let's just say, in the twelve years Mac could remember, he had never felt so confused in his life.

It was a simple task, yet no matter what he had tried, he couldn't think of an answer. Frustrated, he crumpled the paper and threw it to the ground. A small hand reached down and grabbed it.

"No matter how angry you get you shouldn't litter." Mac snapped his head up.

"Il-Ile Ileana what are you doing here?" He mentally smacked himself.

Quirking and eyebrow she answered, "Same as everyone else, going to school." For a second she looked like she wanted to open up the piece of paper, but instead she tossed it in the bin, to the side of the staircase. Mac breathed a sigh of release. "I wonder what the teacher is gonna say about yesterdays experiment. Whatever it is, it isn't going to be good."

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing we don't have science today isn't it? But either way, I don't think they're going to do very much, it's not like this is the first time somebody blew something up in this school and it most certainly won't be the last."

She heaved a long sigh, "This school just gets weirder every day, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, pretty much, but it would get boring if it were ordinary." Nodding her head in agreement, Ileana looked up at the sky in dismay.

"It's going to rain."

Finally, Mac looked at the sky. "Naah, probably not." Standing up, he grabbed his stuff. "We better get to class." Mac ran up the steps. Looking down, Ileana still hadn't moved. Her eyes were glued to the sky, as if frozen there. "Yo, Ileana," He said shaking her shoulder slightly. "Hey, are you okay? Ileana?"

She blinked, gazing back at Mac, her eyes were glazed over with fear. A light seemed to go off in her mind like she finally recognized who he was, and her expression dropped to normal. "Huh, yeah, I'm okay let's go." She quickly stood up, and almost lost her balance. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed her arm just in time to keep her from tumbling down the steps. Nodding her head in thanks she fiddled with her stuff, throwing her bag across her shoulder before rushing up the steps.

She threw the entrance door open, and without a word disappeared into the rapidly filling hallways. Mac glanced back up at the sky. The sun was still shining brightly through the clouds. _This school isn't the only thing getting weirder every day. _He climbed the last few steps and went into the school building, closing the big double door behind him. As the door shut, a stray black cloud covered the sun; the first of many to come.

As the day continued, Ileana got worse and worse. Her color was rapidly disappearing from her body, almost like it was evaporating strait off her skin. Even when she was the palest white Mac had ever seen a person, her skin only got lighter. Soon she started to get more tired, to the point that she rested her head on the desk in every single class, and when the teacher asked her a question it was like she couldn't even hear them.

It hadn't started to rain, but Mac watched as every five minutes Ileana would look at the window, the same expression from earlier reappearing on her face. Even with the blinds closed, both of them could tell the sky was pitch black at best. Strong winds howled through the trees on the campus, rustling every form of life outside. This was one of the worst storms this area had ever seen, and it hadn't even started to rain yet.

Whatever was going on with Ileana, her condition seemed to get worse as the storm grew, and Mac didn't want to know what would happen when the storm reached its final stages. "Psst, Mac, psst." The noise shook Mac out of his thoughts. "What's the matter with her?" Goo pointed towards Ileana at the lunch table farthest from the entrance. He shrugged, that's what he wanted to know too. "Hey I got an idea why don't we invite her to Foster's?"

"What good would that do?"

"It may cheer her up! Do you have a better plan?"

"No, but do you really think it'll work?"

Shrugging she replied, "Its worth a try isn't it if it'll make her feel better."

Mac nodded, "So you're gonna go do it right?"

"Say what? Aren't you supposed to?"

"Why you're the girl, and don't girls have some sort of secret language that allow them to understand each other?" Goo shook her head. "Fine, but still it's weird for a guy to ask a girl over to some place or else it would be thought of as a date."

"Whatever, I'll do it." Goo stood up and made her way over to Ileana's table. From where he was sitting, Mac couldn't hear what was being said but he knew Goo well enough to know about where the conversation started off. After Goo had only been sitting down for a few seconds, Ileana darted out of her seat running for the nearest hallway. Shocked, Goo looked back at Mac and shrugged her shoulders.

The two stood up and ran down the hallway Ileana had recently gone through. Let the race begin.

…**Annnnnddddd End of chapter Four! **

**1)Wow I typed this chapter in a day! I think that's a record let me check. Yep, normally it takes me a string of about three to five days when I really get the creative juices flowing.**

**2)I didn't like how this chapter turned out but as I said before, writers block, and it even prevents me from changing anything on here. Terribly sorry about that. I will shoot to get the next chapter up in a week. Honestly it all depends on school and how much my brother forces me to play Halo Reach. But on the school matter I have a half day coming up and next weekend I am going on a 4 hour road trip to celebrate my Great-grandfathers b-day so I'll have some time then to work on the story. **

**Also, I was wondering as a side question that you don't have to answer, how do you reviewers get over writers block? Normally I listen to a song that fits the story/emotion/character and it keeps me from losing the creative idea but I can't find a song to fit this story/emotion/Ileana so I just want to know. And it would be a HUGE help if you guys could give me song name and artist that you believe would work with this story, because I know none. (You don't have to reply to either questions, or if you answer to one you don't have to do the other, or you could reply to both, it's your choice.)**

**Review!**

**Later! Guardian out!**


	5. Cat and Mouse

**Guess What! I'm sick. D: And to make it worse, it's not bad enough to take me out of school for. So I still get stuck going to school and I feel crappy on top of that, whoopee. So here's the next chapter. It ended up slightly different than what I originally intended but whoever said I was in control of what my fingers typed? Anyways, after thinking for a while how I had written the previous chapter I couldn't do what I originally intended without it making absolutely no sense, so I was going to have to change it anyways. By the way, my apologies about last chapter ending so abruptly, I just wanted to get it out there and didn't make it as good as I probably could've but overall I think it ended up okay.**

**To chibigurl305 (I really hope I spelled that right) thanks a ton for Favoriting my story! I only wish my story could be better for all you out there reading it, but alas I already try my hardest on the work I've been putting out recently.**

**And for Tall T thank you for Favoriting my story and me as an author, and also thank you so much for reviewing the first chapter through third and then reviewing the fourth chapter. It really does help to know your responses to each chapter so I know what I need to change and what I can keep the same. Example: Now I know to try and not make the chapters end so abruptly. **

**theartist95- I must say when I read your review I was on the floor cackling (and not in the bad way, in the good way) because guess what? You, for the most part, nailed what I have planned only there are a few things different and a bunch more to it, but it made my day when you read my review (and believe me, I was having a really crappy day).**

**Finally, to DarkMistofNight for favoriting my story! Thank very much! (I've kind of ran out of things to say so moving on!)**

**Just a heads up, this chapter starts out as Ileana's POV then when the line comes in it switches to Mac's POV from a certain place from Ileana's POV so you will get a repeat of some events just from different characters POV. If you don't like how I did this, and believe me this will be the only time that I do it, then just read Ileana's part and skip through to the bottom of Mac's because his will have a little bit more information than hers.**

**P.S. this chapter will most likely be abrupt as well. My apologies.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned FHIF then Terrence would find himself trapped in a rubber room for the rest of his life, and if he ever got released then he would have to wear a frilly maid's outfit and serve Mac and Bloo, everyday. So, no I don't own FHIF. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Cat and Mouse

Ileana threw the front doors open, and raced down the front steps, three at a time. She took off sprinting faster than she had ever gone before and didn't stop. She could hear the distinct sounds of Mac calling to her from behind but she just ignored him. She just had to get away, and she would be fine.

At least that's what she hoped, but now was not the time to be second guessing her decision. Either everything would be fine and she could go back to her life, or everything was about to take a drastic turn for the worst.

An explosion of yellow flames spread across the clouds, illuminating them for a few short seconds. For the first time since she had left the school, Ileana dared to look at the sky. It was even darker than it had appeared in the classroom. Lowering her head to keep the rain out of her eyes, she stopped when she came to a metal fence, separating the street from the alleyways that crossed back and forth all throughout the town. Daring to look back, she could just barely make out the outline of Goo and Mac a good distance away.

Ileana took a step back so she was standing on the very curb of the sidewalk, before doing a quick replica of the long jump, and jumped grabbing the fence with her right hand, while the other slipped out of its hold. Struggling to hold on, she panicked as she saw the other two getting closer and closer. Just then the wind blew, shaking the fence. Ileana gripped the fence desperately, finally getting a foothold. The wind continued to batter the fence, rocking it back and forth violently, but she just continued to climb up. When she reached the top, Ileana stuck one foot on the fence and crouched, the fence now below her. Waiting till the wind rocked the fence forwards, she pushed off as hard as she could, leaping to the ground.

Landing with a thud, she took off again, through the pouring rain. "Ileana!" shouted Mac from behind the fence. "Please wait! Ileana!" Tears ran down her face, as she continued to run. Why couldn't he just leave? Why did he have to chase after her? Rounding the corner, Ileana stopped when she saw multiple different streets she could take. Looking back and forth, she ran for the nearest street. As she got further and further along, the walls became narrower and narrower, until she had to slide sideways just to get through.

Finally the walls opened up to a new street, forming a T with the old one. More streets than Ileana could count branched out from this new street. She was at very center of all the alleyways in town.

The wind still blew as hard as ever, whipping her hair around her face. Her now drenched clothing clung to her body, making her shiver. She hurriedly walked over to the other side of the street so that the buildings blocked most of the wind. Leaning heavily against the brick walls she turned the corner, and pushed off, stumbling forward slightly.

Her name rang out through the alleys, Mac was still following her. Ileana gripped the neck of her t-shirt as coughs racketed her body, her knees shaking beneath her. In a final attempt to get away, Ileana use what was left of her energy and burst into a run, closing her eyes so that the pounding rain wouldn't get in her eyes.

As she continued to run, alley after alley passed- each looking identical to another- until Ileana lost track of which one she had come from. A steady thump of pain shot throughout her hand, erasing all prior thoughts until she was just running to be running, she couldn't even think about why she was running.

Ileana stumbled, gripping the brick wall desperately, the grooves cut into her fingers, scratching them, as the world spun beneath her.

She broke out into a mad coughing fit, crumpling to the ground on her knees. When she removed her hand from her mouth, what she saw made more tears begins to stream down her face, mingling with the pouring rain.

From behind her, she could hear footsteps rounding the corner, before the noise stopped. Gazing back, she saw Mac standing there stunned. "Please…" mumbled Ileana hoarsely, a single tear running down her face by itself, all the rest had stopped. Then everything went black.

* * *

The fence shook dangerously as Mac ran into it, not even bothering to slow down. He punched it in anger, Ileana's small frame disappearing into the rain. "Dang it, Ileana!" he screamed. Goo huffed, sliding to a stop beside him, gripping her knees to give her some support.

She gasped, "Calm," gasp, "Down," gasp, "She can't get… she can't get too far in her condition." Goo placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Now come on, only one of us needs to get over the fence." Going down on one knee, she cupped her hands together to make a platform for Mac to step on. Gripping the loose fence for support, Mac tentatively stepped on her joined hands and clung desperately to the fence as she stood up. "Ready?" Mac shook his head. "Oh well, high bar arch!" she yelled as she tossed him into the air.

Mac was sent flying clear over the fence and turned just in time to land on his feet. Grunting at the electric shock that spiked up from his ankles he looked back at the fence. "Go around, I'll chase her this way and you can cut her off." He turned around before he could see her response, and took off sprinting towards the last place where he had seen Ileana's rapidly disappearing figure. _Come on Ileana, _he thought after he had caught sight of her again, _Don't be stupid, you need to get out of this storm._

A sudden gust of wind threw him off balance, his back hitting the rough walls of the alleyway. _How can she stay grounded so well while running? _Gritting his teeth, Mac pushed off of the wall, running to catch up with her again.

After several alleyways he finally came to a newer one that opened up to reveal several different streets that branched off into _other _alleys. He sighed, gripping his head in frustration. Up until then it had been fairly easy to guess which path she had taken and seeing her at the end of the alleyway always proved he was correct but now… it was virtually impossible to guess which path she had taken. "Ileana!" he yelled, in a desperate attempt to find which alley she had chosen. Mac gasped as the sound of vigorous coughing reached his ears. He turned immediately and sprinted down the nearest alley, following the desperate splashing of shoes through water in front of him.

As Mac continued to follow her, her choice in paths became more random with each turn she took, almost as if she wasn't even paying attention to where she was going. Coughing rang out once again, toward Mac's left. He broke into the fastest sprint he had ever done when he heard something hit the ground, in the same direction as the coughs. Rounding the corner, he froze midstride, shocked at what he saw. Ileana sat crumbled on the ground, gazing at her hand. She looked back at him, and he saw a single tear sparkle as it ran down her pale cheek. "Please…" she whispered hoarsely, before her body fell limp to the ground.

Mac ran over to her and when he looked at her palm, he almost wanted to scream, "No," he whispered.

His head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. Goo stood looking horrified at the scene, her mouth hanging open in shock. Looking back, it was the first and only time Mac had ever known Goo to be speechless. She took a step towards them, a glint from the street lights showing the fear in her eyes. When she looked up, their eyes met and a silent question was passed between them. _Is she okay? _

Mac looked away, "Call an ambulance, h-hurry." His voice choked. Even though he wasn't looking, he saw Goo nod and run back out the way she came, heading for the nearest telephone booth. Taking Ileana's hand, he looked at it again, before grasping it tightly in his, closing both of their hands into a fist. A single tear slid down his cheek as he squeezed her small hand ever-so-slightly; Ileana didn't even respond to the pressure.

Her palm was covered in blood.

**AAAAAaaaaannndddddd… DONE! Yay! I will try and have next chapter up in a week or so (Thanksgiving break being this week and all) and so I would just like to say I am very sorry about the late update but my life has been hectic. Also, one reason why I haven't been able to update is because my very best guy friend recently went into surgery to have his pace maker reconnected so I've had to help him a lot since he has basically felt like he was dying since the pace makers wires were disconnected for several months. He's recovering now but he has to be really careful what he does for a while (the stupid doctors messed up so they had to do the surgery twice in the same day) so yeah I have to worry about him too.**

**Plz R&R!**

**~Guardian of a Friend~**


	6. Undeserved Hell and Back

**Its official... I am horrible at updating. I had originally planned to update a few days after the previous one and yet… I didn't. Yes, I did try to get it up when I said it would but tons of crap came my way and when I finally didn't have anything that needed to be done I didn't feel like writing. Now, (being winter break and all) I'm going to try and update again within a week but no promises.**

**Yesterday morning I sprained my left hand and it is now in a splint that unfortunately prevents me from typing very fast and very efficiently so please excuse and grammar/spelling mistakes that I don't usually make because my left hand certainly does not want to make this easy on me since just typing this message so far (not including story) is making it cramp up.**

**To Tall T, thank you for reviewing/responding to the previous chapter and virtual/ real applause to you for reviewing on the third chapter in a row. As I said before, I really appreciate the continuous feedback on each chapter. **

**Disclaimer: blah, blah, blah… I don't own FHIF… blah, blah, blah… wish I did, but I only own Ileana and anyone else who didn't appear in the show.**

**ENJOY! **

Chapter 6: Undeserved Hell and Back

Mac sighed, folding his hands and resting his head on top of them. He gazed into the neighboring room, separated by a double paned-nearly-sound proof window. Ileana lay in a hospital bed in the other room, an oxygen mask securely fastened onto her face and an IV tube running into her arm. Her light purple hair was dark from the rain and lay spread out all over the blank pillow. Mac was currently in the observation room, there he could see and hear everything that was going on outside but nobody could see or hear in. This room was the closest the doctors would let anyone get to her until after she wakes up but Mac still wanted to be in the hospital room with her.

A squeak from the door shook Mac out of his thoughts. Two adults stepped into the room, a man and a women side-by-side. He only had to look at them for a second to know they were Ileana's parents, the resemblance was that strong. For the most part, the resemblance came from her father. Mr. Ruther's eyes were the same ice blue eyes only they were a few shades darker, making him appear more cold compared to Ileana's which were constantly full of curiosity (and a hint of mischief). His hair was a very light blonde, the same shade Ileana's had been in the photograph.

Mrs. Ruther was a sharp contrast to her husband and daughter. She had the same build as Ileana, heck they could be twins in size if you ignored the age difference. However, she had dark red hair with hazel eyes; she wore a business suit with as much makeup as you can wear without looking unprofessional. She had the same light skin Ileana had when she wasn't as pale as she currently was (which was more of an inhuman white right now). So besides size, Ileana hadn't gained very many traits from her mother but the resemblance was still there.

Immediately, they began to speak to each other. "She doesn't look good," stated her father.

"She looks worse," her mother sighed, sitting down in a chair near Mac, resting her head on one of her hands in defeat.

"Perhaps?"

Mrs. Ruther sighed again, "Perhaps."

"It happened soon."

"Sooner than expected."

"Why?" questioned Mr. Ruther, not even bothering to turn and look at his wife throughout the conversation.

"I can't believe it happened again and so soon!" yelled a confused Mrs. Ruther, breaking the no-more-than-four-words rule. She stood up and started pacing, "I mean… we did everything that the doctors suggested, we moved out of state, bought new furniture for the entire house so it wouldn't even slightly remind her of the old one, and yet…" Ileana's mom sighed again before dropping back into her seat dejectedly. "Where did we go wrong?" she mumbled, barely above a whisper.

"Nowhere, she went wrong." Mac resisted a groan; here they go again with the four word sentences.

Mrs. Ruther shook her head furiously, "No, it wasn't her fault."

"She wouldn't let go."

"So?" cried Mrs. Ruther. For the first time since the couple arrived, Mr. Ruther turned towards his wife, only to glare daggers at her; Mrs. Ruther returning the look.

"It was her own fau-"

"Excuse me," exclaimed Mac, annoyed at the bickering, "But would one of you care to explain what- and who- you're talking about?" Both heads snapped towards Mac, shocked as realization hit both of them that someone else had been in the room throughout the entire conversation.

Stone ice blue eyes narrowed critically, "None of your business." With a humph Mr. Ruther spun around and walked out of the observation room just before he slammed the door shut behind him. Sighing, Mac slumped in his chair once the older "gentleman's" footsteps faded into the background noise of the busy hospital.

"Sorry," murmured Mrs. Ruther, her head downcast so that her face was hidden. "I wish I could say he isn't usually like that, but for the past six years that's all I can ever get out of him."

Mac felt awkward as Ileana's mom choked back a sob, "It's alright, something's you can't change." When she didn't respond Mac turned his attention back to Ileana. Despair filled his heart when he saw she still hadn't moved or woken up. His mind flickered back to the last word she said, _"Please…" Please what? _He thought desperately.

"Don't worry," replied Mrs. Ruther, lifter her head up and wiping away several tears before they escaped her eyes. A soft smile formed on her lips, "Ileana will be okay. She's not as fragile as she appears."

Mac nodded his head, but he still didn't quite believe her. _Is it possible, _he thought bitterly, _to be okay after what happened to her? _"She's lucky," Mrs. Ruther continued, snapping Mac out of his thoughts, "To have someone care about her so much like you do."

Gaping, Mac's brain searched desperately for any indication from the past several days that what she said was true. In the end, his mouth spoke up before letting his brain finish its' analysis, "How…"

The woman only chuckled shaking her head. "Trust me, you wouldn't still be sitting there if you didn't care a great deal for her. No person in their right mind would stand being in the same room as my husband and I when we have our fights and then through hearing me cry, unless they were chained to the wall and even then they would still be covering their ears begging for the noise to stop." She quickly looked over at Mac's chair as if examining it, before a grin broke out on her face, "And you certainly don't seem to be chained down."

Mac shook his head, amused, before his eyes, once again, returned to Ileana's still form; his smile dropped. "If you don't mind my asking, what exactly happened to Ileana?"

Mrs. Ruther's smile shrank as her head tilted upwards towards the ceiling, a distant look came into her eyes. "The girl was put through hell and back, and she didn't deserve it."

**Not as long as I originally intended but oh well. When I started on this chapter I had planned on adding in Ileana's story but then I typed this last sentence and it just felt right to end it there. (You were off by one chapter TallT!)**

**PS- Just to let you know about the title because it is seriously making me uneasy, I'm talking about the place (which isn't a curse word) not the… adjective I guess? I really don't know. So, in this chapter any time I typed in H-E-L-L , I meant the place including this time right there when I spelled it. For those of you wondering why I'm fretting over one little word it's because I don't curse, out loud or on paper.**

**That's all**

**~Guardian of a Friend~**


	7. Beware This Goodbye

**In this chapter will begin Ileana's story however this is the setup for the real information but you still need to read it (in my opinion).**

**IMPORTANT! - when the writing is italicized it means that that is what Ileana is dreaming about (technically it's her memories) while unconscious. How I've written the story is in order of how things are going on. When she has these memory flashes while her mom is explaining to Mac what happened more vaguely than the memories, there are some things the mom says that you miss because they're covered in the dream so you have to read both if you read any. **

**This is just the beginning of Ileana's story so it won't have any major things in it, like what cause her to be the way she is, just the lead up. (My apologies if this turns out horrible)**

Chapter 7: Beware This Goodbye

"Ileana has always been a frail child, ever since she was born. The poor girl spent the first nine years of her life in the hospital without ever going outside as doctors tried desperately with test after test to find out what was wrong with her, and needless to say, Ileana hated every moment of it. After the first four years, the best the doctors could come up with was that it was a disorder surrounding her heart but affected nearly every single system and organ, including her skin, causing her to be very weak and very pale. Even so, the biggest trouble the doctors faced was getting her to stay in her room, a job only her older sister could ever accomplish."

_The white hospital room door creaked open as a small blonde head peered out into the darkness. Looking both ways before tiptoeing out of the room, she silently shut the door behind her. Checking again to make sure no one was around, the small girl broke into the fastest run her body would allow, ignoring the severe pain that erupted in her chest before she had even finished her first full step. Her bare feet pattering against the hard tile floor, she saw the door to the staircase just as a cough escaped her lips. It didn't sound like very much, but internally her lungs felt like it just slammed up against her ribcage. Her body shook even harder when the next cough came, this time with enough force to cause her to lose her balance._

_Landing with a thud that seemed to echo off of the entire hospital, she froze when the light to a room a few feet away came on. "What was that?" whispered the voice of one of the nurses from inside the lighted room, her figure outlined in shadow on the curtained window. A second figure joined hers._

"_I don't know but turn out that light before you wake up the brat in here. It took us ten minutes to put him to sleep and I don't feel like wasting another thirty putting him and several of the other kids back to sleep when they wake up to his bloody screams." Within seconds the light was put out, but before she could sigh in relief the knob started to jiggle from the nurses locking the deadbolt and knob on the other side of the door._

_Knowing what would happen as soon as they finished locking the door from both sides, she glanced desperately around her. Mentally face-palming, she chastised herself for getting stuck in the _worst _possible hallway for hiding spots, which was exactly why they had stuck _her _in it. Her heart sunk as the knob finally turned and began to open. Glancing desperately at the staircase several feet away, she turned around and ran up to the room directly behind her, two doors down from the one that was currently opening. _

_Reaching up to her messy bun she had done earlier that evening, she pulled out a long, thin piece of medal that curved upwards at the end, causing her hair to fall down, reaching her mid back. She pulled up her night gown and started to unwrap the gauze wound tightly around her right leg. As the final wrap of gauze was removed, she couldn't help but frown at the dark blue bruise stretching the length of her lower leg, _It's all that stupid medical problem's fault, _she thought, grabbing a small, flat head screw driver buried deep in the pile of gauze. _

_Pushing both pieces of medal into the key hole on the door, she expertly maneuvered the pick until she heard all the pins fall, before using the screwdriver to push the lock to the side. A slight _click _echoed throughout the hallway as the deadbolt latch was pulled in. Grabbing the gauze, she rushed into the unlocked room and closed the door. Just as the door latched shut she heard the footsteps of the nurse echo out into the now vacant hallway. _

_Holding her breath, she pressed her ear up against the cold wood door, trying to hear what was going on on the other side. "See Laverna, nothing's wrong out here. You almost made our night longer for nothing!" whispered the second nurse hoarsely._

"_I could've sworn I had heard something though! Maybe it's that room 6F girl again, wouldn't surprise me. Did you hear, she's tried to escape seven times in the past month!" She gulped; they wouldn't go check her room would they?_

_She heard a click as they locked the door again from the outside, before their special shoes squeaked down the hallway, in the opposite direction of the room she was hiding in. The young girl backed up in shock as realization of what was happening hit her, they were heading towards her room. _

_Shaking her head, she began to reach for the door to make a break for the staircase but was stopped by a voice whispering through the room, "I know you're here, Ileana." _

_Ileana froze, terrified, her hand several inches from the door knob. Turning around slowly she glanced around the dark room, shadows of different objects stretching menacingly on the walls from the faint glow of light through the window in the far corner of the room. Gulping anxiously, she turned away from the walls, her small eyes refocusing in the darkness as she looked at the bed. Her breath hitched in her throat as snake like red eyes watched her from under the covers, the light reflecting off of them so that that is all you could see._

_Closing her eyes, she released the breath she was holding and growled. "You know, _Danielle, _I could tell the doctors you tried to scare me into having a heart attack," Ileana muttered threateningly. The red eyes squinted menacingly, before white, bony hands reached out of the black hole and slowly pulled back the covers to reveal a girl with white hair and even whiter skin sitting in the heap of covers. _

_Her crimson eyes bore holes into Ileana's, as a mutual hate passed between the girls. "Shouldn't you be in your own room, lab rat?" sneered Danielle. _

_Ileana flinched at the nickname, but her eyes never left the other girl's. "Shouldn't you be asleep, albino."_

"_Hn, touché. But at least I'm not breaking a rule." She replied smugly._

_Rolling her eyes, Ileana turned back towards the door, "Says the girl who got detained by the hospital guards for unruly behavior and violence, miss claws."_

"_If you're not careful I might just use these 'claws' on you next. Anyways, I wouldn't go out that door if I were you." Ileana opened her mouth to retort but was cut off as Danielle let out a shrill scream. "ILEANA'S IN MY ROOM AND SHE'S TRYING TO GET AWAY!" Spinning on her heels, Ileana dove for the older girl, clamping her small hand tightly against Danielle's mouth._

_Hushing her, Ileana grunted as Danielle kicked her in the stomach, sending her sprawling to the floor. Lashing out her hand, she raked her sharp fingernails across Ileana's shoulder, grinning as red liquid stained the young girl's night gown. "Get off," cried Ileana, shoving her feet backwards, pushing Danielle to the floor. Gripping the bed, Ileana stood unsteadily._

_Stepping towards the door, her heart nearly stopped as the sound of rushing footsteps and shouting in the hallway reached her ears. Danielle couldn't help the smirk on her face as she laid on the floor in triumph. Ileana growled but rushed toward the window without a word. Shoving with only one hand she pushed the glass window open and shivered as the cold night air rushed at her all at once. City lights gleamed across the sky line, blocking out most of the stars. Looking down, Ileana gulped at the ten foot jump to the beam below Danielle's window then at the next ten foot jump to the medical green house._

Here goes, _she thought jumping off the ledge as the door to the room was thrown open. "Stop!" cried one of the doctors from across the room. _Sorry, no can do, _she thought, _Unless you somehow found a way to reverse gravity, an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force, such as this beam, _reaching out, she barely grabbed the white support beam in time and winced as her arm was wrenched under the pressure. Swinging her weight back and forth like on monkey bars, she released the beam right as her weight was swung forward and she fell backwards. Doing a back flip with the added momentum from her swing she bent her knees and finished her flip right as her feet struck the ground._

_Glancing up, Ileana smirked at the astonished and angered looks of the doctors and nurses, all glancing out of Danielle's window at once, squishing each other against the window frame in the process. Ileana sighed at their stupidity, before running off into the main hallway, out of view, leaving behind the scent of fresh plants._

_Cutting around the corner, Ileana dashed for the staircase, throwing the door open just as the elevator dinged, signaling it was opening. Several doctors ran out before rushing back into the elevator in seeing Ileana disappear down the steps. She sighed, how is it that some of the brightest doctors in the country could be so stupid? _It's common sense,_ she thought, gripping the railing to keep from falling as she raced down the steps, _That stairs are several seconds faster. So why, _panting slightly, Ileana shoved the base floor door open, _Do they insist on taking the elevator?

_Sliding to a stop, she listened intently as her footsteps' echoes quieted down. The sound of hushed voices reached her ears, right as Ileana spun around, taking off in the opposite direction. "When is she going to show?"_

"_I don't know you idiot, but keep your voice down. This girl's already made it down four stories and hasn't been caught once. If she hears us then she'll know to go the other way." _

Too late, _Ileana smirked knowingly. "Stop her!" screamed a nurse as the elevator doors opened just as Ileana flew past. Cringing from the onslaught of voices, she covered her ears desperately, her head pounding. The room swirled around the young girl; her vision changing colors to different shades of red and grey. Her heart pounded painfully against her chest, exhaustion finally catching up to her. _

_Tears streaked her pale cheeks as blood rose in the back of her throat. Gasping for air, Ileana closed her eyes to the pain when the glass double doors to the exit came into sight. Banners above the exit reading "HAPPY HALLOWEEN" swayed in the breeze created from the now open doors. Crisp October air whipped around Ileana's small frame, sending goose-bumps up her arms as she ran down the concrete path leading to the parking lot. Fields of flowers lined her path, the bright colors a sharp contrast to the empty colors of the hospital. At the far end stood a worn down rose arbor, the gate to the parking lot._

_Glancing back, Ileana slowed to a walk when she saw none of the workers dared to go out in the cold in their light clothing. Turning her head forward, she stopped as a figure stepped from behind the arbor and into the light emanating from the full moon. "Julianne?" whispered Ileana, tilting her head in confusion. "Mom and Dad said you were going to California for a week, weren't you supposed to leave this afternoon?"_

"_I was, but something told me to come back here to see you. I guess this is why," chuckled Julianne, motioning towards the hospital and the staff crowding the door. Her face broke out into a soft smile, almost a knowing one as her eyes glazed over. "Ileana, do you remember what Grandma said that one time she came to visit you here?" Said girl shook her head, her brain scrambling for the memory. "She had told us, 'Sometimes flowers convey a message of what is to come, a secret we would only know in the future.' Do you know what she meant by that?" Again Ileana shook her head._

"_Honestly?" continued Julianne, her gaze dropping to the patch of flowers beside her, "I only have a guess. Ileana, take a look at the flowers around us and tell me their meanings." _

_Doing as she was told, Ileana glanced down at the flowers. Directly to her left and right, along with behind her, were rows of different color roses, daffodils, and morning glory. Then, in a line that marked right in front of her feet was a strip of white begonia's to her left, and in the same placement to her right was a strip of pink-nearly red- cyclamen. The patch of both flowers began in front of Ileana's feet and ended directly in front of Julianne's, almost like the strip served as a wall between them that hadn't been there._

That's weird, _thought Ileana, her brows knitting in confusion. _These flowers weren't here yesterday when I looked out my window, and they don't seem to be freshly planted.

"_So, you notice it too, huh? Do you have any idea what it means?" She shook her head. Racking her brains for the answer, Ileana sighed looking up and meeting her sisters hazel eyes. "Oh well, you'll figure it out in time. Go on inside, your doctors are waiting."_

_Nodding her head, Ileana turned and headed back up the walk, she never had been able to defy her sister. A single brave nurse rushed out the front doors with a blanket in her hands. Scurrying up to Ileana, the chubby woman gently wrapped the blanket over the thin girl's shoulders, blocking out the cold night air. "Wait," murmured Ileana, her left ear twitching as she replayed what her sister had said in her head. Her brow furrowed in concentration while an idea began to form in the back of her mind. "Begonia and cyclamen: begonia's stand for 'beware' or 'caution', and cyclamen stand for 'resignation' or 'goodbye'. If you take the strip as a line, like in a book and read from left to right then it would mean 'Beware, Goodbye' but what does that mean." Stopping in her tracks, Ileana bit the tip of her thumb._

"_But…" she continued, her eyes searching the concrete in front of her, as if the answer would be written somewhere there. "That phrase, 'Beware, Goodbye' sounds like it's warning you but then has to leave. However, the two flowers aren't connected, which means there should be a word between… them…" Her eyes widened as realization hit her. "Sis, wait!"_

_Spinning fast enough that the blanket was whipped off her shoulders, Ileana caught a fleeting glance of her sister climbing into a friend's vehicle and driving off, heading to the airport. "Wait!" she screamed again, preparing to race after the rapidly disappearing vehicle but just as she stepped into the first stride the world began to spin faster than before. Losing her footing, she was met with the dreaded feeling of falling in mid air as the world turned black around her. Farther and farther she fell until she was wrapped in darkness. She was faintly aware of someone calling her name as her eyelids drooped closed._

"Ileana!" yelled Mac, as the girl's heartbeat spiked into the lethal level for the fourth time since Mrs. Ruther began her story. At least ten doctors and nurses rushed in, pumping more clear liquid into several new tubes running into her body. A soft hand rested on his shoulder, and he whipped his head around to yell at them to back off but stopped when he was met with Ileana's mother's stern yet calm gaze. Taking a deep breath Mac sat back down in the hospital chair and watched nervously as the doctors worked, all of them trying desperately to stabilize Ileana's vitals.

As soon as the doctors finished, Mrs. Ruther continued her story, "Ileana found out a second too late what her sister was trying to tell her, and my husband and I didn't realize how important it was until there was nothing left we could do. The message had been simple yet, had we listened sooner, so much could have been avoided."

"'_Beware This Goodbye.'"_

**Finally finished! **_**And **_**it only took me about five hours total to do! (I get distracted easily so yeah) This is the longest chapter ever! Well, this tells you the medical issue and it leads up to the problem, so you'll find out what made her condition so much worse **_**next **_**chapter. Sorry!**

**PS- for those who want to know, when I italicized the last sentence I was implying both Mrs. Ruther and Ileana said it, of course in their currently separate worlds.**

**Thank you TallT for reviewing the… fourth time I believe in a row. Your pretty good at reviewing my story like the morning (if not later that night) after I update, so virtual cookies for you!**

**I meant to have most of Ileana's story in this chapter but decided against it when I saw how long this one was so I decided to break it up, once again, SORRY!**

**Next chapter will be up soon, (within a week) because I'v already got two pages written as we speek, so yeah. Only problem is I've got school starting back up on Tuesday so I'm going to spend tomorrow preparing for that. REVIEW!**

**~Guardian of a Friend~**


End file.
